I’ve been to Big Morongo Canyon Preserve which is located close to Morongo Valley town, but I went with my wife and a local friend from Palm Springs who had never been there within her more than 30 years in the area. We also wanted to see what it looked like at this time of year and especially what the trail system around there could offer. The result: great views and at least one surprise!
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is easy to find when you drive up to Morongo Valley along 62 as there is a big sign by the highway and you find it almost immediately when you turn left after this sign. A short road ends at a parking lot by which you can see a kiosk with information about the preserve and also a trail guide. There are basically six trails from very easy and short (less than a mile lenght) trail along the marsh area where you can also go with a wheelchair and baby strollers. Most of the trail system is in the flat marsh, but one goes around the area along Yucca Ridge and the most demanding one along the canyon for almost 10 miles.
We chose a roundtrip around the marsh area using Marsh Trail, Mesquite Trail, Yucca Ridge Trail and Desert Willow Trail – total lenght about two miles and of course some climbing to the ridge. Attached photos might give some idea what to expect.
There are various grass and bush areas with different plants and tall trees, mostly cottonwood, whose leaves had already fallen. On our previous visit the canyon floor was almost everywhere bright yellow – best time to see this unusual coloring around Coachella Valley area is in November.
We were highly surprised walking along Mesquite Trail that runs in a dense mesquite bush and a very steep and fairly high ridge on our left when suddenly there was an old, rusty car almost full of holes – maybe bullet holes! – blocking part of the trail. This car must have been there for years and maybe had fallen from the ridge above, but there was no explanation anywhere. The model of the car is a 1941 Ford Coupe – maybe driven by a mobster trying to get away from chasers 😉 You might solve the real story behind this car 🙂
The best overall views are from Yucca Ridge where you can see the whole Preserve with Morongo Valley community behind and at this time white peaks of both San Jacinto and San Gorgonio at the same time. This is one of the best reasons to go and hike there. Overall a great place to visit and have a picnic 🙂
